


Just Like Animals

by theskullofhorror666



Series: Just Like Animals [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: AMC, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Terminus, Terminus (The Walking Dead), season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 18,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23091730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theskullofhorror666/pseuds/theskullofhorror666
Summary: Gareth and his wife, Sadie, have been running Terminus since the start, and keeping up what now is a ruse to lure fellow survivors to their doom since they had to fight to get it back from those who stole it from them. What will happen, though, when one group of survivors proves to the them that they really may be screwing with the wrong people after all?
Relationships: Gareth (Walking Dead)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Just Like Animals [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920568
Comments: 11
Kudos: 3





	1. Fresh Meat

| Sadie’s POV |

“She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak  
I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks  
I've been drawn into your magnetar pit trap trap  
I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black”

My In Utero record played from the record player that Gareth has managed to scrounge up, on one of his runs, for my birthday a couple months ago. Leave it to him to be able to remember that kind of thing in this shithole of a life.  
And thank God, too. Being able to escape through my favorite records was one of the things I missed from our life before. 

“Hey!  
Wait!  
I've got a new complaint....” 

I’m so immersed in my record that I don’t even hear Gareth when he comes in, not til he starts singing over said record and ruining the damn song......which he knows damn well that I loathe.  
“...Foooooorever in debt to Sadie’s priceless adviiice”  
“That’s not how the song goes.” I muttered, annoyed, under my breath.  
“That’s the way it should go” he insisted.  
“Well I doubt very much that Kurt knew I even existed, let alone my name, when he wrote the song.” I sighed, finally eyeing the bag he had snuck in with. I tried to hold back a smile. “What’s in the bag?”  
He quickly shifted the bag behind him and shoving it down the back of his pants. “What bag? I don’t have a bag” he tried desperately to stifle his laughter and not come off as suspicious.  
“Gar....” I glared playfully, as he was clearly taking joy in this. “I know when you’re lyin to me, boy.”  
“I’m not lying.” He attempted to stifle back even more laughter.  
“Buuulllshittt” I sneered playfully at him.  
He put up two empty hands, in an attempt to convince me otherwise.  
“Well then....” I sighed, turning my record player back up. “I guess I’ll just neeeever know.”  
Pennyroyal Tea, another favorite of mine, was just starting up.  
“Fiiiine” Gareth sighed, devolving into a giggle. “You’ll have to take it from me first though.”  
I picked up an old Rolling Stone magazine, with Tom Petty on the front cover of it, and proceeded to pretend as if I couldn’t hear him.  
He sighed and decided to crawl across the bed to me and lay across, just so, to where his head was laying in my lap and looking straight up at me, trying and failing to stifle more giggles. “I’m not moving til you-“  
I interrupted by tackling him, pulling him down in a headlock, and then pinning him back onto his back, so that he could see the evil smirk that spread across my face.  
Finally giving in, I snatched the bag away from him. I was just about to open it, too, when he had the bright idea to open his mouth back up.  
“You know I let you win, ri-“  
I hit him with an empty, glass, Mountain Dew bottle before he could finish his sentence.  
“Oww!!” He shrieked.  
I smirked back at him.  
“Just open the damn bag, already.” He sighed.  
I tore the plastic bag in front of me open, to reveal a white T shirt with “I wanna run away with Joan Jett” custom scrawled across the front of it.  
“H-How...” I started to say, mostly at a loss for words, as a shirt like this was hard to come by even before all of this, much less during.  
“Alex took it off a chick this morning when they were....well, you know...” he got real quiet for a moment after he said that. He hated what we had to become, probably as much as the ones we were doing this shit too.  
A smile lit up my face, nonetheless, and I tried to drag him back to the current situation.  
“Well I LOVE it!” I reaffirmed.  
His face finally lit back up, as well.  
I tore my black, I don’t give a damn about my bad reputation, tank top off and quickly changed into the new shirt, to Gareth’s apparently displeasure.  
“Awww..” he whined.  
I turned to look at his little puppy dog face. “I wanted to help you with that.” He couldn’t help but smirk.  
“Jerk!” I snickered, flinging the old one at his face.  
“Bitch!” He smirked back.  
He tossed it back in my direction and started to get back off the bed and head towards the door.  
“Where you goin?” I asked. “You just got back.” I tried to pull a sad puppy dog face of my own.  
He chuckled. “One of the spotters spotted a new group of survivors out in the woods, with a pretty nicely sized bag on ‘em too. Some pretty decent weapons in it, I’m sure. Told ‘em I’d go check it out on my rounds.”  
I smiled back at him. “Want some company?”  
His face lit up again. “Love some company.”  
I took him by the hand and we headed out together.


	2. A

Sadie and I are heading out back to see to taking care of this new group that’s headed our way  
Surely, by now, they’ve found their way to the gate, I figured, and it’s my job to give them the same old spiel and put out in the train cars til we’re ready for them.  
“Hey, Alex!” I called to my brother as we arrived on the scene. “What’s the status on those-“  
But I stop, midsentence, when I realize that four armed strangers are standing right in front of us.   
“Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch.” I shrugged, mostly laughing it off.   
Sadie was already suspicious, though.  
“You here to rob us?!” She asked, abruptly.  
“No.” The first man, who I presumed to be the leader, answered. “We just wanted to see you before you saw us.”   
The rest of the guys and I just chuckled, while Sadie dropped her glare to eye the other man’s crossbow.  
“Makes sense.” I shrugged. “Usually we do this where the tracks meet....Welcome to Terminus! I’m Gareth, and that’s my wife, Sadie.”  
Sadie gave a brief wave to the group before shooting me a smirk.  
“Well, we’ve got nothing to hide, but the front is a lot nicer.” I explain. “.....looks like you’ve been on the road for a good bit.”  
“We have.” The leader answered. “Rick, that’s Carl, Daryl, Michonne.” he gestures to each member he introduced.  
“You’re nervous, I get it. We were all nervous.” I chuckled, trying to reassure them. “We came here for sanctuary. That what you’re here for?”  
He nodded. “Yes.”   
“Good, you’ve found it.” I lie. I called Alex over while gave them the rest of our little spiel.  
“We’ve got nothin to hide, but the welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer. Alex’ll take ya, ask you a few questions....but first, we need to see everyone’s weapons, if you could just lay them down in front of you, I’m sure you understand.”  
“Yes I do.” Rick said.  
“Just so you know, we aren’t those kind of people, buuut we aren’t stupid.” I explained. “And you shouldn’t be stupid enough to try anything stupid....as long as we’re clear on that, we shouldn’t have any problems, just solutions.”  
Sadie patted each of them down before Alex handed each of their weapons back, except for The Archer, who beat him to picking his crossbow back up as soon as Sadie gave the okay.  
Alex gestured his head. “Follow me.”

Sadie eyed The Archer with a suspicious grin, as he followed Alex and the others out the door.   
“Crossbow’s miiine!” She declared, happily.   
“Yes, Ma’am” I teased, to which she playfully hit me on the shoulder. “Oww.”   
We were just heading out on our rounds when we heard a commotion coming from outside.  
Sadie charged ahead of me, yanking her knife off her belt, while I tried my best to keep up.

“I’M NOT GONNA ASK YOU AGAIN, WHERE’D YOU GET THE WATCH??!!!” The Leader was shouting, with a gun to my brother’s head, as we arrived on the scene.  
“I PULLED IT OFF OF A DEAD ONE!! I DIDN’T THINK HE’D NEED IT!!” Alex panicked.  
I had to pull back Sadie before she could strike with her knife, long enough for me to try and convince them that it wasn’t what it looked like.  
“YEAH?? WHAT ABOUT THE RIOT GEAR AND THE PONCHO??” The Leader continued to demand.  
“Pulled the riot gear off a dead cop” I answered. “Found the poncho on a clothesline.”  
Alex focused his pathetic, pleading eyes on me. “Gareth?!”   
“Shut up, Alex.” I ordered him, irritated.  
Sadie tightened her grip on her knife, though not raising it yet, keeping her eyes sharp on the rest of the group.  
“What do you want?” She demanded.  
“WHERE ARE OUR PEOPLE???!!” The Leader demanded back, raising his gun.   
This caused Sadie to raise her knife again and rush at the kid, presumably The Leader’s son, and hold it to his neck.  
“DROP YOUR WEAPONS OR THE BOY GETS IT!!!” She shouted.  
He slowly lowered his gun to the ground and the woman with the katana followed suit.   
“YOU TOO ARCHER!!!”   
The Leader shot him look and The Archer followed suit as well.   
She released her grip on the kid, advancing towards the crossbow, and slinging it over her own shoulder. “I’ll take this.”   
“NOW.” I stated firmly, redirecting my attention to The Leader. “Go to your left! The train car! You do as we say, the boy goes with you, anything else, he dies and you end up in there anyway.”   
He hesitated, glaring at me, before finally going as directed.  
“Now The Archer!” I ordered.  
He followed The Leader to the train, slightly more cooperatively than The Leader himself.  
“Now The Samurai”   
The Samurai looked at me and then followed suit.

I decided to let the kid approach closer to the group, who were lined up behind The Leader, as promised, when he shouted again.  
“Now, open the door and go in!” I ordered.  
The Leader stood at the door, unmoving. “I’ll go in with him!!”   
“Don’t make us kill him now!!”   
He opened the door and headed in reluctantly, the rest of the group following shortly behind.


	3. The Bag

| Sadie’s POV |

“Hey guys” Gareth asked, once we arrived at the trough room.  
Two of our men had The Ringleader, a couple guys Mary had brought in, The Samurai, and a short haired blonde guy I’d never seen before all lined up, bound and gagged to be bled out across the trough in front of them.  
“What were your shot counts?”  
“38” the first guy answered, before knocking the blonde guy out with his bat and slitting his throat.  
The second guy was about to do the same to the Asian Guy when Gareth cut him off before he can.  
“Hey!! Your shot count?”  
“Crap man, I’m sorry.” he panicked. “This is my first round up.”  
I shot him a glare and started towards him til Gareth pulled me back.  
“Eeeaasy, Sade.” he chuckled, redirecting his attention back to the guy. “After you’re done, go back to your point and count the shells, alright? They won’t be collecting those until tomorrow.”  
“Hey!! Hey, I wanna talk to you!” the guy at the end called out, his voice still muffled by his gag.  
This irritated Gareth. He walked over to the guy, and I followed, watching as he roughly yanked the man’s gag out to humor him.  
What?” he sighed.  
“You don’t have to do this! We can fix all this!”  
I rolled my eyes, while Gareth started to pull his gag back up. “No you can’t-“  
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS!!” he insisted.  
“I told you, there’s a way out of this. You just have to take a chance, we got a man who knows how to put everything back to the way it was. We just gotta get him to DC!!”  
Gareth sighed. “Can’t go back, Bob.”

The Archer was glaring at me with his crossbow still slung over my shoulder, so I gave him a smirk and spun around so he could see it better.  
“Like what you see, honey?” I sneered.  
Gareth definitely did, he just laughed.  
“What can I say? The lady called dibs.” He shook his head, chuckling. “My girl does love her weapons.”  
“Damn right, she does.” I smirked, kissing him before taking my notebook out to jot some more things down. “Four from A, four from D, right.”  
Gareth nodded and made his way over to the Ringleader, yanking his gag out when he kneeled to his level.  
“Saw your group go out into the woods with a bag, aaand come out without it. I’ll have to get some of my spotters out before we go look for it. What was in it?”  
The Ringleader glared at him, not answering.  
“You hid it, right? In case things went bad. Sssmart. Still, we’ll find it, buuut it’s too dangerous to go out there right now.” He motioned for me to grab the one called Bob, to whom I held my knife right in front of his face while Gareth repeated his question to The Ringleader. “What was in it? I’m curious. It was a biiig bag, surely there was something good in it.”  
Still no answer from The Ringleader.  
“You really gonna let her do this?” He sighed.  
“Well, let me take ya out there.” The Ringleader offered. “I’ll show you.”  
Gareth shook his head, gesturing toward me.”  
“Not gonna happen, but that might.”  
I held my knife closer to his face and The Ringleader quickly started listing every weapon that was in that bag of theirs.  
“......a compound bow, aaaand a machete with a red-red handle.” He started getting cocky, as if he’d forgotten who was in charge. “That’s what I’m gonna use to kill you.”  
Gareth just laughed it off and replaced the gag back in his mouth before he stood back up. “Thanks!”  
I stormed toward him, yanking him up by his jacket collar. “JUST WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??!!” I snarled in his face, finally shaking him up a bit. Not by much, but enough.  
“Sadie, Sadie.” Gareth chuckled, taking me by the arm. “Easy, Tiger. What’s he gonna do? He’s ZIPTIED, and at our mercy!” He shot The Ringleader a smirk and patted me on the shoulder, so I just nodded and headed back toward the door.  
“Right behind ya” he called, before turning his attention back to the butchers. “You have two hours to get them on the dryer, then we get back to public face. Now’s the time that we can get messy, but we gotta dial it all in by sundown.”  
“Got it.”  
“Yes, sir.”  
Gareth nodded back to them, turning back to meet me by the door when a loud explosion boomed outside.  
He started to call one of our guys outside from his walkie talkie, but was cut off by another, even larger explosion than the last.  
“You guys stay here.” He instructed the butchers.  
“Man, these guys aren’t goin any-“  
“STAY HERE UNTIL I KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING!!!” he barked his order at them, this time, and took me by the hand as we ran out the door.


	4. Queen Bitch

Sadie’s POV 

I was checking out the room where we keep all the shit we take off of the survivors upon arrival, gun raised in case I had to shoot whoever the hell was behind all this, on my way to find one of the others who might have a better assessment of the situation. 

I was halfway to the back door when I heard a woman’s voice, barking orders, just behind me.  
“DROP YOUR WEAPONS, KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM, AND TURN AROUND!!”  
I just laughed it off, at first, turning around to see just who had the balls.  
“Alright, BITCH, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but-“  
Suddenly a bullet struck my leg, bringing me to my knees, long enough for her to get close enough to grab the crossbow off of me.   
I grabbed my leg, not yet seeing that she was holding her gun to me.  
“FUUUCCKKK!!!” I started to grab for my gun when she shot at my other leg, missing this time, but still getting my attention.  
“WHERE’D YOU GET THE CROSSBOW??!!” she demanded, still pointing the gun at me.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!!” I growled   
She cocked her gun, dissatisfied with my answer.   
“I PULLED IT OFF OF A DEAD MAN, GODD!!” I lied. “What’s it to you anyways? He your boyfriend or something?”   
“WHERE ARE OUR PEOPLE???!!” she demanded, still obviously unamused.  
“What makes you think I’d tell you?!” I spat, struggling to my feet.  
She yanked a knife off her belt, ready to strike me, when a familiar scream broke through from the other side of the back door.  
“SAADIIIIEE!!!” it cried.  
“Gareth!!” I called back, grabbing my gun up and holding it toward the bitch as I limped out the door and toward my husband’s voice.

I arrived on the scene, not too far outside of where the bitch shot me, to find Gareth, stood holding his gun in front of him, frozen in place, trying to fight back tears from his eyes.  
“Gar....” I asked, momentarily forgetting about the pain in my leg. “What’s wrong? W-“  
I was cut off by the realization that a low, raspy, growling was approaching closer behind me and I just about stopped dead in my tracks too, when I recognized the cold, dead glare that used to be Mary’s gentle eyes.  
The woman who had once welcomed me into her home when Gareth and I were first dating, now long gone.   
I tried to hold myself together, slowly pulling my knife back off my belt and driving it into her skull.  
Gareth couldn’t help himself by the time she fell backward, onto the ground.   
I dropped my knife and held Gareth in my arms, hoping to God that my leg wouldn’t give out.  
“Gar, I’m so sorry” I managed through my cracking voice.   
I stood there, letting him cry, softly into my shoulder until we heard more gunshots.  
“We have to get out of here.” I told him, wiping my face when looked back up at me.   
He nodded and put his arm around my waist as I kept my kept my grip around his shoulders for support as we took off.


	5. On The Road Again

Gareth’s POV 

“FUUCKKK!!!” she yelled, cursing out both me and that grey haired queen bitch who did this to her, as I carefully tried to dig the bullet out of her leg.   
“I’ve almost got.” I promised. “It’s riiiight there.”   
“That’s what you said fifteen minutes ago!” she snapped. “You don’t have shit!”   
“Why do you think I said almost?” I chuckled nervously.   
She remained unamused.  
“Just take the fucking bullet out of my leg” she growled.   
“I’m tryin.” I sighed. “Just trust me, alright?”   
“I’ll get that fuckin bitch, if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get that bitch!”   
“I don’t doubt it.” I chuckled. “Hang on, I think I got it, for real this time!”  
“Why do I have trouble believ- OWWW!! GODDD!!!”   
“See?” I declared proudly, holding it up.  
“Gimme that!” she snapped, snatching it out of my hand and throwing it back at me. “See THIS!”   
“Oww!” I cried, to her immediate disdain.  
“Awww...poor baby” she mocked. “Did you get shot today?”  
“I got shot AT, if that counts.” I offered.   
“Don’t make me hurt you.” she snapped again. “FOR REAL, this time!”   
“Yes, Ma’am!” I laughed, rummaging in the first aid kit I’d been using for some stitches to stitch her leg back up. “Martin, where the hell are those stitches you said were in here?!”   
“Calm your shits, alright?” Martin grumbled, fishing around in his backpack for some.

“Are you deaf?!” Sadie called back to him when she decided he was taking too damn long.  
Martin muttered something, incoherently, under his breath.   
“Here” he retorted, walking over and tossing the stitches at us.  
“Thank you!” she snapped, sarcastically, at him. She shook her head, irritated, as I got to work sewing her leg back up.

She packed the first aide kit away, back into her backpack, as soon as I finished up the last stitch in her leg, and got herself back up on her feet.  
“We going or what?” she asked.  
I chuckled a little, at her eagerness. She never was one to let anything, even so much as a bullet, slow her down.   
“And you think you’re okay to walk?”  
She rolled her eyes. “I know I am, Gareth. It’s my leg, shouldn’t I know?”   
“You should rest, is what you should do.” I said.  
“I said I’m fine.” she insisted. “You really wanna sleep out here, in the dirt, all night? Or do you wanna keep looking for someplace decent, like we planned?”  
“You’re the boss” I sighed. “Buuut, we’re doing this MY way”   
“Gareth, what are yo-?” she started to ask but got cut off by my lifting her up and over my shoulder, before she could protest much.  
She tried, desperately, to convey her annoyance, but instead broke out in laughter that she failed to stifle.   
“Gareth, Goddamn you, put me down!” she laughed some more. “I’m serious, stop it!”   
“Noooope!” I insisted, carrying her off. “You guys comin, or what?”   
Martin rolled his eyes and followed shortly behind me, along with the others.

We walked for another ten or fifteen miles, til we stumbled upon an old, abandoned schoolhouse with an old wood pile, fit for a campfire, and some old sleeping bags scattered around out in front of it.   
Some walkers clawing at the windows from the inside, but otherwise deserted.  
“This’ll do” I chuckled, as Sadie finally managed to squirm out of my grasp and start smacking me, playfully.  
“Will you cut me some slack, just this once?” I whined.   
“Never” she smirked, pulling me closer to kiss me. “But that’s why you love me” she whispered.  
“You know it, babe.” I smiled, kissing her back.


	6. Bittersweet

| Sadie’s POV |

Everything. Everything we’ve been through, up to here. Not one bit of it felt as ungodly, in that moment anyway, than that little God forsaken plus sign staring back at me as I sat there, alone, behind a tree just about five minutes away from the campsite while Martin and some of the others hunted for our dinner.  
I shook it in my hand, as if that might change the result.   
“Fuck, fuck, fuuuck” I whimpered to myself. “This better be some kind of sick joke.” 

Part of me wished there had also been some packs of abortion pills in one of those first aide kits, but the other part of me knew I wouldn’t take em even if they were there.   
Goddamn....why did this have to happen? Now, of all times, why the hell did this have to happen.  
We’d tried. We’d tried, long before our world as we knew it went in the damned shitter, to have one. I guess God just has a damned sick sense of humor.

I dropped my head into my hands.   
How the hell was I supposed to tell Gareth something like this? With things the way they are now, with what we just lost-scratch that, WHO we just lost. It’d just destroy him. God help me, it would absolutely, without a doubt destroy him. But what was I supposed to do? What COULD I do? 

I sat there, for another ten minutes or so, til I heard the sound of footsteps approaching closer and closer behind me.   
I quickly shoved the test back into my pocket, standing up abruptly, and holding my gun out in front of me til I saw who it was and lowered it.   
“Jesus Gar, don’t ever do that to me!” I snapped.  
“Sorry” he chuckled nervously, giving me a peck on the cheek. “What are you doing over here, anyway?”   
“Taking a piss, is that alright with you?” I laughed.  
He shook his head. “No. Absolutely not allowed.” he teased.   
“Very funny!” I smirked, smacking him playfully. “Any of the guys back yet?”   
Gareth grinned. “Even better. Martin said he and Mike spotted one of the guys from that group that grey haired bitch was from, in the woods not too far away from here.”   
This brought a grin to my face. “That IS better.”  
“I knew that would cheer you up.” he said. “How’s your leg, by the way?”  
“Better.” I shrugged. “No thanks to that grey haired queen bitch, anyway”  
Gareth nodded.   
“Would you believe me if I told you that you I am perfectly capable of walking over to wherever he is without your assistance?”  
“Not a chance” he snickered, bending down for me to climb on his back. “Hop on.”   
I shook my head. “Well, I guess I’ll take it over your shoulder.”  
“Aww, come one, that’s not fair.” he teased.  
“I think it’s extremely fair.” I insisted, hopping on his back for him to carry me.  
“If you say so.” He sighed.


	7. Tainted Meat

| Gareth’s POV |

“Wakin up? Ahhh, you’re back with us huh? Good news is you’re not dead yet. That’s a relief right? Don’t try to read too much into the word yet there, it’ll just drive you crazy, Bob. I wanna explain myself, you see. We didn’t want to hurt you....before...”  
Sadie scoffed at that last part.  
“We didn’t waaant to pull you away from your group, or scare you.” I explained. “These aren’t things that we want to do....these are things we gotta do. You and your people took away our home. That’s fairplay....now we’re out here like eeeverybody else, tryin to survive. And in order to do that? We have to hunt. Didn’t start that way...eating people. It EVOLVED onto that, WE evolved...we had to. Buuut, now we’ve DEvolved iiiinto hunters. I told you, heh, I said it, can’t go back, Bob. I just hope you understand that nothing happening to you now is personal. Yeah you did put us into this situation, and it IS kind of a cosmic justice for it to be you!” I snickered. But, we would’ve done this to anybody, and we will. Buuut, at the end of the day, no matter how much we hate all of this business” I shrugged. “A man’s gotta eat.”   
Sadie audibly cleared her throat at that last bit, to which I chuckled.   
“You know what I meant.” I teased.  
She just rolled her eyes and went back to her cut of the leg.

“Probably pretty stupid to be here....I don’t know, maybe not. You can see the threat, that’s something.   
You know, looking at them makes me feel better. My mom always used to say that every day above ground is a win......I don’t know how true that is now, but.....looking at them still gives you perspective.” I sighed, walking over and placing my hand over one of the windows of the old schoolhouse. “The glass is gonna break, sooner or later......you know we left a trail behind so we could find our way back.....I mean, that’s pretty stupid right, I mean....back to what?”

“You know bears, when they start to starve, they eat their young. If the bear dies, the cub does anyway, but if the bear lives it can always have another cub......that was part of the pitch.   
You know, Greg and Mike came thiiis close to nabbing that damned grey haired Queen Bitch who killed my mom, and tried to kill my wife.   
Can’t wait to try her.....” I shoot Sadie a smirk. “the queen bitch, not you”  
She snickered at that and took another bite of her leg.   
I chuckled. “Anyway, she drove away with The Archer before we could get em.”   
“Keyword YET, Bob.” Sadie sneered at him.   
“Most of us, myself included, like women better. My brother Alex....also dead now, thanks to Rick, had this theory about it being because of the extra layer of fat they have, you know, for childbearing.” I sighed. “Even the skinny girls have it. Like that pretty one, what was her name? Sasha? I think pretty people taste better too.”   
“We did a pretty great job on your leg, too.” Sadie chimed in. “You should be thankful it didn’t go to waste, like Gar and Martin’s first attempt.”   
“Oh come on, that’s not fair, and you know it” I scoffed, trying to stifle back a laugh.  
“It’s true.” She reaffirmed.  
I just rolled my eyes at her.   
By now, Bob’s crying had descended into....laughter? Was that what he was doing?  
Sadie snickered at him. “Well shit, it wasn’t THAT funny.”   
He must’ve been going mad now, he was finally in full hysterics.   
“He’s lost it” Greg shrugged.   
“Lasted longer than I thought he would” Teresa, the other girl left in our little group, remarked.  
“Y-you idiots!” he laughed, revealing a prominent bite wound on the front of his left shoulder. “I’ve been bitten, you stupid pricks!!! Heh, I’m tainted meat!”   
Eyes widened throughout the group and everyone, immediately, began spitting out what was already in their mouths.  
“What the hell’s gonna happen, man?!” Albert panicked. “We gonna turn? Are we just gonna-“  
“Calm the hell down, Albert, alright, we cooked him!” I insisted.  
“Why the hell didn’t you check him first?!” Teresa shrieked.  
“Cause he was FINE.” Greg shouted.  
“TAINTED MEEEAAATTT!!!” Bob continued screaming, despite our warnings.  
“Shut up!!” I repeated.  
“YOU EATIN TAINTED MEEEATT!!!”   
I kicked him unconscious, before he could yell it again. “I said shut up!” 

I glanced around, suddenly noticing that Sadie had left, amongst all the commotion.   
“Sadie??? Sadie?!” I called out, before taking off toward the previous spot I had found her in.


	8. We’ll Make It Work

| Sadie’s POV |

“God, I hope that’s the last of it.” I moaned, to myself, wiping the remnants of vomit from my face and leaning back into the tree as I sunk to the ground and pulled my knees close to my chest.   
It wouldn’t take effect that quickly, would it? Even if it was infected, it couldn’t already have been taking effect that quickly, right?

Convincing myself that it was the pregnancy just made it worse, if anything, because if it was symptom of that, then it was real. Ohhh, shit, it was real.  
I was leaning my head back, into the tree when Gareth’s voice, gaining closer, broke through the silence.....and my train of thought.

His voice got closer, and his approaching footsteps grew more noticeable, as he called for me.  
“Sadie??? SADIE???” he was starting to sound worried.   
“Over here!” I called back, waving my arm out from behind my tree. “You can call off the search party!”   
He chuckled at that as he ran over.   
“There you are.” He sighed. “You okay? You don’t look so good”   
I cleared my throat, hoping that nothing more would be coming back up. “I think so. It was just the meat, made me sick to think about.”   
He nodded. “Okay. Well, hopefully it wasn’t the meat itself, right? I mean, you said it yourself, we did a thorough job cooking him. No reason it should have any real effect on us.”   
I shook my head. “No. No, you’re probably right. I think we’ll be okay.”   
“You don’t seem so sure about that....in fact, you look a little pale. You sure you’re alright?” He asked, sitting down at my level now.  
I guess now was as good a time as any, to tell him.   
I shook my head. “........I’m pregnant.”  
He just sat there, staring blankly for a moment, before speaking again.   
“W-wait...what?”  
“Pregnant.” I repeated. “You know...expecting? Knocked up? With child?”   
“Yeah....no, I-I got that.” He chuckled nervously. “Are you sure? I mean...how-“  
“One of those first aide kits Martin grabbed.” I explained. “There was a box of tests in it, two of em left, so I did both....cause I thought I might be.”   
A tear, I’d been trying to fight back, finally escaped and slid down my cheek, so Gareth took me into his arms and let me sniffle into his shoulder.  
“Come here...” he said, gently. “We’re gonna figure this out, okay? I promise, you won’t have to worry about it.”  
“That’s easy for you to say....” I croaked, gripping onto him more tightly. “This isn’t a death sentence for you.”   
He shook his head, desperately trying to comfort me. “It doesn’t have to be for you either....if we just figure this out, it could be a good thing.”  
“How can you call it a good thing?” I sniffed. “Even if I do survive, what kind of life is this for a kid?”   
“.....I don’t know.” He sighed. “I don’t know, but however we have to, we’ll make it work....we will.”  
“I hope so.” I mumbled into his shoulder.


	9. Bad Dreams

| Gareth’s POV |

I was back. Back in that train car, with my heart racing, hearing everything that they’re doing to her. I feel so helpless.   
How did it come to this?   
This place was supposed to be something good, a sanctuary. We were being fucking human beings. Now...now here it was, biting us right in the ass.   
I couldn’t stand the screams anymore. Whatever was happening to her, let them do it to me.   
I pounded my hands against the train car door. “GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF HER!!! LEAVE HER ALONE, FOR GODS SAKE, LEAVE HER ALONE!!” 

“NOOOO!!!” I shot upright in my sleeping bag, that last scream had been just loud enough to wake myself up and out of that hell.  
I sat there, trying to catch my breath and calm myself back down, as my brain was still processing that it was just a dream, a terrible, terrible dream.  
“S-Sadie?” I finally managed, expecting to find her still sleeping next to me.   
The only one of us that ever managed to sleep well into the afternoon nowadays, if you let her.   
But she wasn’t there. “Sadie?” I called again, looking around the site, to no avail.   
I stood up, out of my sleeping bag, to ask one of the guys if they’d seen her when she started to approach me from behind.  
“I’m here, I’m here” she announced. “Don’t sound the alarm yet!”   
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”   
“Sorry.” She chuckled. “morning sickness is a bitch, didn’t wanna bother you.”   
“Baby, you know you wouldn’t be a bother to me.” I tried to reassure her. “In sickness and in health, right?”   
She nodded. “Bad dreams again?”   
“How’d you know?” I asked.   
She smiled, sympathetically, gently wiping some beads of sweat from my face. “You’re dripping with sweat.”  
“Well I was also worried about you.” I explained. My eyes fell down to her, still flat, stomach area. “...both of you” I added, placing a hand down there.  
She smiled, placing her own hand on top of mine, while she kissed me. “I love you.” She whispered.   
“I love you more.”   
“Mmnn mmm.” She insisted.  
“God, get a ROOM!” Martin, loudly interrupted, trying to get the fire started back up.  
“Oh, Fuck off, Martin!” I retorted.  
Sadie snickered. “Babe, maybe we should go somewhere else for a bit.”   
“But he’s being a dick” I whined, I wanna rub it in his face.  
That got another laugh out of her. “Yeah, but I don’t know if I can stand the smell of that meat, after last night, when they start cooking it.   
“Okay.” I nodded and took her hand to lead her somewhere a little more private.

I took her around to the back of the schoolhouse, far enough away from the vicinity of the fire that she wouldn’t be bothered by the smell.   
“This good?” I asked.   
“Very” she nodded.  
I grabbed her around the waist and began kissing her along the neck. “Good. Anything for you.”   
“Alright, easy Gar” she laughed. “How do you think we got here in the first place?” She glanced down and then back at me.  
“Mmmmm, no idea.” I teased, keeping my arms in place around her. “We really do need to find a better place, you know.”   
“I thought you liked having a captive audience.” She smirked, turning around to face me.  
“No, I do.” I sighed. “It’s not just us I’m thinkin of anymore though.”  
“I know.” She slipped her hands up over my shoulders. “We have time though, I can’t be much more than a month or two along, you know.”   
“Yeah, I know.” I sighed. “Still though, you two deserve the best.”   
“We’ll find a place.” She reassured, or tried to. “We’re gonna make it work, right?”  
I smiled. “That is what I promised.” I pulled her closer and began kissing her again til she broke away. “Mmm I just barfed, remember?”   
“I’ll deal.”   
She smiled and resumed kissing me.

“Yo, love birds!” Martin called out, from around the corner. “You guys gonna eat, or what?”   
“Or what, Martin, now piss off!” Sadie snapped.  
Martin just rolled his eyes and took off. “Alright, more for us then.”  
I chuckled a little. “You should try to eat something, you know.”  
“I should let my stomach settle a little. Later, okay?”  
“Of course.”


	10. A New Place

| Sadie’s POV |

After I’d finished retching up whatever was left in my stomach from the previous night, in front of the same tree as before, I heard Gareth’s footsteps approaching slowly behind me.   
I reached for the knife on my belt, watching him throw his hands up in surrender as I held it up.  
“It’s just me!” He declared. “Just me!”   
“I know who the hell it is” I chuckled. “I told you to stay at the campsite.”  
He glanced around the area. “Is this not the campsite? It’s close enough, anyway.”   
I rolled my eyes. “No, Gar. It’s not, now shoo.”  
“Not happening.” He smirked, gently grabbing my hair back, to hold it out of the way when I put my hand up on the tree to start vomiting again.   
“.....God....” I moaned softly, placing my hand over my mouth to make sure I wasn’t about to start vomiting AGAIN, and then wiping my mouth when I was sure I wasn’t. “....thanks.”  
“Of course.” He replied. “You okay?”   
I nodded, my voice cracking into a whimper. “I think so.”  
“Come here.” He sighed, pulling me gently into his his arms.  
My head rested over his shoulder, I held him tightly back.  
“....you see right through me, damnit.” I chuckled, still feeling nauseous.  
“I know...it’s just terrible.” He teased. “A crime, really.”  
“It really should be.”  
He nodded. “Why don’t we go back to the campsite, so you can lay down? Since this apparently isn’t part of it.” He suggested with a smirk.   
“Don’t make me hurt you.” I snickered, letting him put his arm around me while I held onto him for support as we walked back to the campfire.

I passed back out for another couple hours, after which I awoke to find Gareth sitting up and trying to get the fire going again.   
“Hey, sleepyhead.” He greeted when he looked over and noticed my eyes start to gradually flutter back open. “Feelin any better?”  
“A little.” I answered, sitting up slowly. “Where is everyone?”  
“Hunting.” he said.   
My stomach started churning again, at the word, and I gulped a little.   
“Please don’t say that word again.” I moaned.  
“Sorry.” He replied sympathetically, gently brushing some stray hair strands away from my face.  
“It’s okay.” I sighed. “I just can’t be thinking about....THAT, right now.”   
He nodded. “I understand.”  
I smiled a little, changing the subject. “So we got the whole campsite to ourselves then?”   
A grin spread across his perfect face. “For the next couple hours, anyway.”   
I grinned back a little. “Lucky us, then.”  
“Lucky us.” He repeated, wrapping his arm around me as I snuggled closer to him in front of the fire. 

Martin and the others arrived back at the campsite, right about on cue, just a couple hours after that.   
“Would you two get a room, already?” Martin scoffed.   
“You’ll have to forgive us.” I snapped, gesturing toward the schoolhouse. “The dead ones were a bit of a turn off.”   
Martin rolled his eyes.   
“You guys have any luck out there?” Gareth asked, changing the subject.  
“Sort of.” Martin answered.   
“There’s an old church, just a few miles away from here we could hole up in.” Albert added.   
Gareth perked up a little at this. “Really?”  
“Well, what’s the problem?” I asked, reading the looks on their faces.  
“The problem is those assholes have it now.”   
“Then we take it.” I stated. “We have to.”   
“We’ll talk about it.” Gareth said. “Any luck otherwise? Food? Shelter?”  
My stomach turned a little at the mention of food.  
“Just that.” Martin answered.  
“Then what the hell are you standin here yakin with us for?” Gareth snapped. “Get back out there.”  
Martin rolled his eyes and turned back around. “Yes, Sir.” 

“Now...” Gareth asked, putting his arm back around me when they were back out of sight. “Where were we?”   
“You tell me.” I answered, pulling him closer to kiss him.


	11. The Plan

| Gareth’s POV |

Over the next couple months or so, Sadie’s nausea had almost totally subsided.   
One of the things that, while good, just served to remind me how badly we really needed this next, better, more permanent place I was hoping for.  
I had Gregg and Mike out on watch duty over that church that Martin told us about, back at the schoolhouse. I figured the longer those assholes stayed there, the more proof it was worth taking the risk of trying to take it.  
Meanwhile, we had this old, abandoned barn that we had decided to temporarily hole up in.   
Sadie wouldn’t admit it, but I could tell it was starting to get to her as much it was to me.   
A barn, no matter how comfortable I tried to make it for her, was no place to let her keep sleeping in light of the current situation. 

We sat around, getting the latest updates about the status of the church, and discussing how, if at all, we could take it from them. 

“Hand it over?” I scoffed. “Hand it over, is that what you said, Albert? You actually think that they’ll listen to us for two minutes, let alone enough to convince them to just hand over their shelter to us? Jesus, do you ever stop talking out of your ass?”   
“And might I add” Sadie suggested, trying to get comfortable again. “They wouldn’t have even been able to sneak up on us like they did if you were capable of doing your damn job!”  
“We still would’ve let them in.” Albert tried to defend.   
“We would’ve at least had the upper hand though” Teresa interjected.  
“Right.” I affirmed. “Now, does anyone have any real suggestions?”  
“If I could be frank for a moment.” Teresa suggested, glancing briefly towards Sadie. “Sadie’s starting to show, you might be able to get some sympathy from one of the women if they think the alternative is her sleeping out in the dirt.”  
“And what about Gareth?” Sadie raised. “That Ringleader, particularly, wants him dead. I doubt very much he’ll consider anything but what stick he’d like his head on.”   
I tried not to snicker at that remark.  
“If we’re at the point where they’ve agreed to let you sleep under their roof, you’ve got the upper hand. Present company included, I’ve yet to know anyone who isn’t a little scared of you. I think they might even welcome me in, if you convinced them that everyone else would sleep outside.”  
“Hey!” Albert protested.  
“Oh, Shut up Albert” Sadie retorted.  
“Take it or leave it, Albert.” I sighed.   
He nodded.  
“Any other objections?” I asked.   
Silence throughout the group.  
“Good. Sadie and I will go up there tomorrow.”

I’d been up for a good few hours before Sadie, who slept til what I presumed was a little before noonish. I watched her as she slept, mostly peacefully, and eventually began turning and eventually waking herself up.   
“Hey, Good Lookin.” I whispered, giving her a peck on the cheek.  
She grinned and started to prop herself up. “Hey, Liar.” She teased.   
“I’m not lying.” I insisted.  
“Well then, you’re blind.” She smirked. “I know what I look like in the mornings...especially nowadays.”   
“So do I, that’s why I said it.”  
She wasn’t buying it though.  
I started to get up “Well, before we head out today, I got a little surprise for you.”   
“Gar, last time you said that I ended up pregnant!” She laughed.   
“Very funny.” I snickered. “Wait right there!”   
I took off before she could say anything else. 

“Close your eyes!” I called out, as I drew closer.   
I was still too far to make out for sure, but I could tell she was rolling her eyes.  
“This is totally silly, Gar.” She laughed.  
“Maybe, but just play along!” I chuckled.  
“Alright, open them!”  
“Gar, what are you-“ she started, cutting off when she saw the crossbow I had slung over my shoulder.  
“For you”  
She eagerly took it from me and slung it over her own shoulder. “I love it! How did you-“  
“Martin took it off of a dead one when they were out hunting last night.” I answered.  
“Well it’s perfect, thank you!” she declared, kissing me.  
“Anything for you, babe.”


	12. A Place To Stay

| Sadie’s POV |

We’d gotten just close enough to the church to be able to see it in the distance, when a woman’s voice began barking orders from behind us.   
“FREEZE!!!  
“DON’T SHOOT!!!” Gareth pleaded. “Just hear us out”  
“Why?” The Asian man, who was with her, demanded. “Give is one good reason.”   
Gareth stepped slowly, putting himself between myself and then while I turned around.   
“I’m okay, Gar.” I said.  
He stepped carefully to the side, his gun still raised in case they moved to attack.   
The man’s eyes fell to my stomach as I spoke, gently moving his hand over the woman’s gun for her to lower it.  
I nudged Gareth to lower his, which he did reluctantly.  
“.....We just need a place to stay...” I explained. “...just til we find something more permanent.”  
They looked at each other, hesitating as they considered.  
“Come on, have a heart.” Gareth added.  
“Place your stuff down in front of you and turn around, hands where we can see them.” The man ordered.  
Gareth dropped the bags he was carrying, placing his gun next to them, while I laid my crossbow down in front of me.  
The woman patted each of us down, while the man looked through our shit.   
“Watch it, he’s mine” I smirked while the woman moved on to Gareth.  
Neither she or the man, who never fully took his eyes off us, were particularly amused.  
“They’re clean.” The woman confirmed.  
The man nodded. “Any other friends of yours we should know about?”   
I nodded to Gareth, and he whistled for the others to come forward from the woods. 

The two of them gave the same orders, patting each of the others down, before having us follow them the rest of the way.

The man, having already taken mine and Gareth’s weapons, ordered the rest of our guys to place their weapons by the front door while he and the woman just about dragged us in behind them.   
“Guys....” the woman announced. “You’re gonna wanna hear this.”   
The rest of the group came out, from wherever they were, and drew their weapons on us, til the man put his hand up for them to stop.   
The Archer stormed forward before any of us could speak.  
“WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOIN HERE??!!” He demanded.  
The Ringleader handed his baby girl over to the kid, stepping up just in front of The Archer with his gun. “I’d like to know that too!”   
“We just need a place to stay” Gareth explained. “Just until we find something more permanent.”   
The Ringleader continued to glare at us.   
“Come on man, she’s pregnant.”   
The Ringleader lowered his gun a little and put his other hand up to hold The Archer back, his eyes dropping to my stomach as if to confirm.   
“Well, how do we know you’re telling the truth this time? Maybe we let our guard down and you just take this.”   
“We’ve been in the vicinity for a good bit.” I pointed out. “If we wanted to just storm in and take this from you, we could’ve, at any time.”  
His glare returned, this time aimed at me.  
“We don’t have to let them all in.” The Asian man suggested. “Sadie can sleep on Gabriel’s couch, we’ll put the rest outside.”   
“The rest will sleep outside.” Gareth interjected. “But you’ll have to shoot me first if you wanna separate me from my wife.”   
“That can be arranged!” The Archer growled.   
The Ringleader raised his hand, gesturing for The Archer to stop again, before redirecting his attention back to us.   
“Go wait outside and shut the door behind you!” He commanded. “Leave your stuff.”  
Gareth put his arm around me as we walked out. “You don’t need the extra weight to carry, anyway.”   
“Bite me.” I teased.

The door just about slammed shut behind us.


	13. Decisions

| Glenn’s POV |

Everyone sat around, looking at each other, looking to Rick, and looking to Maggie and I, waiting to hear what possible reason we could’ve had for not just shooting those people on sight.  
I sighed. “At least tell us what you’re all thinking.”  
“I could ask you two the same thing.” Rick, who was still standing, said.  
“Well...” I exhaled. “I was thinking...that I couldn’t just leave a pregnant woman to live out on the road like they must’ve been.....and thinking about if that had been Maggie.”  
“And when it was Lori.” Maggie added. “We didn’t know you guys from atom, not til you showed up with a shot boy in your arms and another kid on the way. My dad let you stay, WE let you stay anyway.”  
“That was different.” Rick stated. “Carl....Lori, the-they didn’t- WE didn’t try to kill you before that.”  
“You still could’ve.” Maggie replied. “For all he knew, anyway.”   
Rick nodded. “As I recall though, we had to beg him to stay on.”  
“You did.” She admitted. “And look what happened.”   
“You let me in.” Michonne reminded him. “Would’ve let the governor and all his people in, if it meant keeping the prison.”   
You could tell Rick didn’t like it, but he knew she had a point.  
“It doesn’t have to be permanent.” I added. “They said they only need a couple weeks, we’ll hold them to that, and watch them like hawks in the meantime.”  
“If we turn them away now, they’ll just come back in, guns blazing, like the woman said they could’ve. Having them here, with control over their weapons, at least gives us some kind of advantage.” Carol pointed out.  
“Right, well what do you think happens then...” Daryl asked, using air quotes. “After a couple week? Couple weeks of seeing how good we have it here now. Think they’re just gonna up and leave? Even if that is their plan? Even if they do find another place?”   
“Oh we’ll force them out.” Rick answered. “If it comes to that, we’ll force them out.....til then, they stay under OUR terms.”   
“Sounds fair enough to me.” Michonne confirmed.   
Rick nodded, then turned back to me. “Let ‘em back in, then.”   
I nodded. 

Rick stopped me before I could reach the door and pointed to the bags and weapons Gareth and his wife had brought in.  
“Go through those, any weapons you find, put em somewhere where they won’t know.” He said, in a more hushed time.  
“I’ll do it” Daryl insisted, already walking toward them.” 

Gareth and his wife were seated on the front steps, waiting our decision, when I went back out to tell them the news.   
He stood up, helping his wife to her feet....to which she protested, when he turned around and saw me standing in the doorway.  
I nodded toward the inside. “You can come back in now. Rick wants to talk to you both.”   
“Great.” He said, putting his arm around his wife while they followed me back in.


	14. Our Terms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you also following Afterlife Aftermath, my sincerest apologies it’s taking me longer to update that one.  
> This one was one I originally wrote years ago, so it’s easier to write since it’s a rewrite.

| Gareth’s POV |

The Asian man led us back in to stand before the Ringleader, who still had that same stern look on his face, as he began to speak to us.  
“Exactly how long do you expect to stay here?”   
“Few weeks. Just long enough to find a new place...like we told your friends, here.” I answered, gesturing to the two who’d brought us in.  
He nodded, seeming to consider this.   
“Fine. Three weeks, and that’s IT. After that, or whenever you find a new place, whichever comes first, you are GONE. Do I make myself clear?”   
I nodded, making sure I was at least a step in front of Sadie in case one of them tried anything. “Crystal.”   
“Good.” He stated, proceeding to point behind him. “Gabriel’s office is back that way, pretty nice couch in it...”  
“Yeah, better than you deserve!” The Archer interrupted.   
“That is the room you two can have, for the time being.” The Ringleader continued. “One of our people will stand at that door at all times, and your weapons will stay under OUR watch, in case you’re thinking of pulling something.”  
“That’s fair.” I agreed.  
Sadie scoffed pretty audibly, earning another glare from The Ringleader.  
“IS IT?” He about growled.  
Sadie rolled her eyes. “Crystal.”  
The Ringleader nodded. “And your little buddies out there will REMAIN out there.”   
“Deal.” I agreed.  
The Ringleader nodded. “Gabriel can show you two over.”  
“Sure. Let me fill the guys in first.” I told him.  
Sadie grabbed my hand and started leading me toward where The Ringleader had indicated. “Let em figure it out themselves, I wanna see this couch.”  
“Yes, Ma’am” I chuckled. “We will need our bags back though.  
The Archer beat us over to them and practically threw them at us, before taking off. I just rolled my eyes and took Sadie’s and my bags.  
“I can carry my own shit, you know.” She protested.  
I kissed her on the cheek. “Doesn’t mean ya have to!”   
She grumbled as I snatched both our bags up before she could, taking my hand again as the preacher man, who The Ringleader had referred to as Gabriel, led us back to his office.

The room we were brought to was considerably large for what either of us had expected, in light of current circumstances.  
There was a large desk next to the door, under which I tossed my own bag on my way to carrying Sadie’s over to the couch across the room, where she would sleep.  
“This is all for us?” Sadie asked, not really believing it.   
Gabriel nodded. “For as long as you’re here.”  
He spoke with a tone that was more soft, and gentler than the rest of the group, even in spite of what they must’ve told him about us.  
“If there’s anything else you need...” he started to go on.   
I had to scoff at that. “Thanks, but uhh, I don’t think anyone’s exactly at our beck and call around here, if it wasn’t obvious.”   
He smiled “Speaking for myself, then.”   
“Well, thanks.” I chuckled.   
He nodded and shut the door behind him as he left.


	15. Late Night Kicks

| Sadie’s POV |

I peered down toward the floor from the couch to see Gareth, in probably the deepest sleep I’d seen him since we got here. I hated waking him up.   
“What good will it do him?” I thought to myself. “The baby’s not even kicking anymore, just let him sleep.”  
I sat there for another moment, deliberating on if I should take the chance and wake him or let him sleep....and leaning on the latter.  
I sighed. About to turn over and attempt to get back to my own sleep, restless as it was, I sat myself back up when I felt another firm kick.   
“Gar......Gaaaaarr.” I whispered, gently shaking him. “Gar, baby, wake up!”  
He mumbled something, in his still sleeping state, and turned to face the other way.  
I giggled a little to myself and continued to shake him, a little harder this time. “Gaaarreth, Gareth wake up...wake up!”   
He shot upright, at that last shake, trying to process the situation. “Wha-what?! What’s happening?” He turned back to my direction. “What is it? Is it the baby?”  
I nodded, chuckling a little. “Shh, calm down.”  
“What? What do you mean? What’s-“   
He trailed off when I took his hand, bringing it to my stomach, where he was answered by another little kick beneath his hand.  
“Wha? Is tha-“ he smiled. Is that what I think it is?”  
I nodded again.  
“Is that the first time he’s done that?  
My eyebrows raised, “oh HE?” I chuckled.   
He rolled his eyes. “It’s just a guess. I don’t know, what do you think it is?”   
“Well now you make it sound like I’m harboring a Stephen King monster.” I teased.  
He sunk back down, into his sleeping bag, and groaned, pulling the cover over his face.   
“I’m tired, okay? Cut me some slaaack.” He whined.  
“Never” I sneered, playfully.  
He sighed “I don’t know what I was expecting.”  
He sat back up and began to pull himself onto the couch.   
“Gar, what are you-“   
“Shhh!” He giggled, trying to squeeze himself next to me.  
“Gar, you’re crazy!” I laughed. “There’s not gonna be room on this couch for all three of us!”  
“See?” He insisted, putting his arm around me and making himself comfortable. “Perfect.”  
“Right” I smirked. “Until I turn over in the middle of the night, and knock you onto the floor.”  
“It’s not the middle of the night?” He snickered.  
I picked up the pillow I was using and started hitting him with it.  
“Ow! Ow! Ow!” He whined, trying not to giggle.  
A loud, irritated, sigh came , from what sounded like The Archer, on the other side of the door.  
Guess it was his turn on the night shift.  
“Someone’s jeeaalous.” Gareth snickered, in a more hushed tone.  
“Awww, don’t be like that!” I called out, snickering. “Come on in, join the party!”   
I must’ve pissed him off, because a hard BANG hit against the door.   
“Sade, don’t do that” he whispered, his voice a little more worried. “You’re gonna get us killed...or me anyway.”   
“He’s not gonna do anything.” I insisted.  
Another BANG. “YOU WANNA BET??!!”   
I started to get up “Alright, two can play at that”   
Gareth grabbed my arm. “I’d reeeaally rather you didn’t.” he whined, pulling me closer to him. “Not YET anyway.” He whispered in my ear.  
“THAT’S what I like to hear.” I whispered as I kissed him.  
“I know it is.”


	16. Hunches

| Gareth’s POV |

They let us outside, with a weapon each, under Sadie’s claim that the guys would be back soon with updates on a potential new place.  
She lead me over behind a tree that was just a bit further from where the others had been sleeping, but was also still within sight of one of the women from Rick’s group who was watching us from the doorway of the church. 

“Sadie, none of the guys are expected back til right before it gets dark, you know that.” I reminded her.  
“I know that.” She said, while placing her arms around my neck. “I just wanted to have you alone...like ALONE alone.”   
“They’re gonna get suspicious if we stay out here too long and the rest aren’t back.” I worried aloud.  
“Tell then we got the time mixed up, then or that they must’ve needed longer than expected.” She suggested, kissing me.  
“Mmmmm...I suppose I could ..” I obliged, holding her closer while we kissed.

The woman, who was watching from the doorway, took our weapons back when we came back in.  
Rick handed the baby over to the kid, who took her away to another room, watching us as the woman lead us back to our room.”   
“Oh calm down.” Sadie scoffed, putting a hand to her stomach. “I didn’t EAT our kid, you know!”  
I pulled her along, closer, behind.   
“Again, are you TRYING to get us kicked out?”  
Sadie laughed. “He knows I’m kidding....well, half kidding.”   
“Still...” I sighed.   
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “You want me to make it up to you?”  
“I won’t say no to that.” I whispered back. 

“Enjoy the show out there, asshole?!” Sadie laughed, pulling her shirt back on.   
No response from the other side, tonight. Someone else must have the night shift, tonight.  
“Oh, come oonnn.” Sadie insisted, when I looked at her. “I’ll make it up to you again.”   
I tried to stifle a snicker. “This is bribery, and I don’t have to take it.”  
“Don’t you?” She smirked.  
“No, I most certainly do not” I teased, emphasizing the not.  
“Well, that’s just too bad.” She growled playfully, straddling her legs back around me.  
“Not fair.” I snickered. “Not even faaaaiir.”  
“I beg to differ.” She whispered. 

She leaned over to kiss me but then sat back up, suddenly placing a hand to her stomach. “Oof.”  
“You okay?”  
She nodded. “Yeah, just kickin again.” She smiled. “Feel him.”  
“So it’s a boy today?” I snickered, placing my hand right around to where she pointed.  
She playfully smacked my arm. “It’s just a hunch.”  
“A hunch?” I repeated.  
“Yeah, a hunch.”   
“I see, and you’re allowed to have those and not me?” I laughed.  
“That would be correct.” She teased.  
“Mmm hmmm....well, you know..” I suggested. “He, she, whatever....we still need to think of names for em.”  
She smiled. “We should, shouldn’t we? Well, what did you have in mind?”  
“I was gonna ask you that.”  
She shook her head. “Well, this is off to a great start, isn’t it?”   
I chuckled. “I suppose it is...”  
“Well, I did have one idea.” She raised.   
“Let’s hear it.”   
“...Alex.” She said. “Could work for whatever.”  
I smiled, considering it for a moment. “Yeah, I suppose it could.....I like Alex.”  
She nodded. “What about a middle name?”   
“Howww abooouuut....Mary?” I suggested.  
“I like it.” She agreed. “And how bout your name for a boy?”   
“I could live with that.” I answered, leaning in to kiss her again.


	17. Nice Try

| Gareth’s POV | 

I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I looked over to see if Sadie was still asleep, only to find a lone note in her place.  
I picked it up and chuckled to myself as I read what she had written.

“Went out to take a piss, didn’t think I had to wake you for that.   
I’ll probably be back by the time you wake up anyway, sleepy little shit. ♡ 

\- Sadie, who the fuck else?”

I quickly laid back down, pulling my sleeping bag cover back over me, as I heard her footsteps approaching, to pretend I was still asleep.  
“Nice try, Gar.” She snickered when she entered, crossing the room to return to the couch.   
“Oh, did you leave? I was just waking up.” I fake yawned.  
“Mmmmhmmmmm.....” She smirked, arms folded. “Where’s the note I left?”  
“Iiiiii don’t know what you’re talking about...” I lied, trying desperately not to laugh.  
She leans over to pick up her note, which I had forgotten to return to its spot, and flung it at me.   
“Maybe this will jog your memory.”  
“......Oops.” I snickered.  
“See, this is the EXACT kind of shit that is why I’ve always told you you’d make a SHIT serial killer!”   
The Archer very audibly scoffed from the other side of the door.  
Sadie got an evil smirk on her face.  
“I’m sorry, YOU SAY SOMETHING, HONEY?” She called out.  
“Just ignore him, pleeeeaase???” I pleaded.  
“Awww, come on, I’m just having a little fun. You know that.”   
“Your little fun” I sighed, emphasizing the last part. “Is what’s gonna set them off.”  
“They already hate us, Gar, what’s there left to lose?”   
I just shrugged.  
I still wasn’t any more on board with her little provoking them game, but I also wasn’t thrilled about any of them listening in on anymore of our private matters than they got to.  
“Run into any trouble out there?” I asked instead, changing the subject.  
She shook her head. “Nahh, just a couple dead ones. Nothing exciting.”  
“JUST a couple dead ones?”  
“I can take care of myself out there, Gar” She scoffed.   
“it’s not just you I worry about, you know.” I reminded her.  
“Rephrasing, I can take care of US out there.” She corrected, taking my hand. “The guys were out there, if it had gotten any worse than that.”   
“Ohh, that’s comforting.” I chuckled. “Those guys could sleep through an entire HORDE of em.”   
“And yet we keep em around.” She snickered.  
“......fair...”   
“I think it is.” She snickered. “You know, Gar, if it means that much to you, I guess I’ll just wake you up the next time I have to take a piss.”   
“Why are you even going outside to piss, anyway? Don’t they have....some kind of bathroom in here? I mean, if they have this room....and a couch....” I pointed out.   
“I need the fresh air.” She chuckled. “You know I can only be cooped up for so long.”  
I nodded. “True, true. I might just let you, then.”  
She climbed back down from the couch, to come straddle her legs around me again, as she sat.”  
“LET you, let you, Gar?” She smirked, pinning my shoulders.  
“Ow, okay, you win.” I laughed. “You win, you have cooompleeete control over me.”  
She leaned in closer, to whisper in my ear. “That’s what I like to hear.”


	18. Our Next Move

| Sadie’s POV |

“You know, if you need to stop for a while, we can stop.” Gareth suggested for the fiftieth time since we left the church this morning. “Just say so.”  
“I just needed some water” I sighed, tucking the bottle safely away in my backpack.   
“I know, but we’ve been walking for a while.”  
“We’ve been walking for half an hour, Gar. That’s nothing, I can keep going.” I took the water bottle back out and squirted some of it at him.  
“It was just a suggestion.” He defended, putting his hands up to try to protect his face.  
“Right” I said. “Well, the longer we keep going, the sooner we find our next place, and the sooner we can start plotting our next move.”   
“Our next move, is making sure you two are safe.....and comfortable.” He sighed.  
“So you plan to achieve the impossible.” I scoffed.  
He stopped, dead in his tracks. “Sadie, we’ll find another place, you know.”  
“You know that’s not what I meant, Gar.”  
He nodded. “Yeah....I guess I do.”  
“.....I feel like a ticking time bomb, alright?” I tried to tell him without my voice cracking and worrying him further.  
He saw through it anyway, though.  
“Come here....” he said, gently putting his arms around me.  
“No....I don’t wanna blow up in your face.” I tried to joke through my tears.  
“That’s a chance I’ll just have to take.” He chuckled softly.  
I sniffles into his shoulder. “......I’m sorry.”  
He shook his head. “Don’t be.......it is scary.”  
“.....I wish it didn’t have to be this way.” I whimpered.  
“...I know...” he whispered. 

We met back up with the others in front of the old schoolhouse, where we’d camped out previously, in order to discuss things more privately before we returned to the church

“Nothing?” Gareth asked when they got there.  
Martin shook his head. “There is a reason we decided the church was the best bet, you know.”  
Gareth rolled his eyes, but Albert interrupted before he could speak.  
“...that’s not entirely true.” he pointed out. “There is a small house a few miles out from here, but it wasn’t very secure, and there were probably already some dead ones inside.”  
I looked at Gareth. “It could do for now, at least. I mean, it’d only be temporary, regardless, and we could clear it out and make it safe.”   
Gareth shrugged. “How small are we talking?”   
“About the size of, if not smaller than, the barn we were holed up in before. Probably only one bedroom.”   
Gareth nodded. “Most of you will have to continue camping outside, if we do settle on it. It’s gotta be as safe as possible, that means a couple of you guarding it from the outside. Some of you would have to be outside, anyway, keeping an eye on the church so we can be ready to take it.”  
Mostly silence throughout the group.  
“Any objections to that?” He asked.  
“Going once....going twice...” I added.  
Everyone shook their heads.  
“Good.” He stated, helping me to my feet as he stood up. “Let’s head out, then.”


	19. Clear

| Gareth’s POV |

Albert was right, for once. This house was considerably small, having, not only one bedroom, but one floor too.  
It may have made it imperfect, but it also made it relatively easy to clear out…..and it was only temporary anyway.

The kitchen was basically cleared, now, except for one last dead one, whose face Sadie wasted no time whipping her knife out and driving it through.  
She shot me a look, like I was crazy, when she saw the look on my face.  
“What?”  
“I told you I got it” I sighed.  
“Everything around us is either dead already or dying, Gar, chivalry can surely stand to take a few hits here and there” She scoffed.  
“No, you’re right” I chuckled. “Forgive me for being protective of my pregnant wife and unborn child. Won’t happen again.”  
“Better not.” She teased, placing her knife back on her belt, and spinning around to kiss me. “Besides…” She whispered. “Don’t you even begin to act like you didn’t find that hot, in the slightest.”  
“No, I did.” I chuckled. “I definitely did.’  
“THAT’S what I like to hear.” She whispered in my ear.  
She hopped up onto the counter, sliding her jacket off behind her, as she pulled me closer to continue kissing me.  
She slid her hands down, around me, forcing me to stop her when she reached my zipper.  
“Mmmm….not to be a buzzkill” I suggested. “But that dead one is kind of a mood killer.”  
She chuckled. “Well then…..I guess we’ll just have to take this party down the hall.” She motioned towards the bedroom.  
“....I won’t argue with that” I admitted.  
She grinned, taking my hand when she hopped back down. “Well then….let’s do it.”  
I let her lead me down the hall, to the one room we’d be staying in til we were ready to take over the church.

Sadie was shirtless still, slipping back into her jeans, when a knock broke the silence as it hit the bedroom door.  
“Stay here.” I cautioned, taking my gun with me to answer the door.  
I lowered it upon opening it, when I looked up to find Albert standing before me. .

“Sorry!’ He blurted, averting his eyes when he caught sight of Sadie, who was still dressing herself behind me.  
“What do you want, Albert?” I sighed.  
“Still haven’t decided who’s staying up to stand guard tonight.” He reminded me.  
“Well, you can assume that it’s not you.” I answered. “Or need I remind you what happened last time you were on watch?”  
“Ahh, you don’t…” He chuckled nervously. “You really don’t.”  
“Good.” I nodded, then considered for a few moments. “Teresa and Martin can take turns guarding tonight, then we can work out a future schedule in the morning.”  
“Got it.” He replied, waving to Sadie as he went. “Well, night, guys.”  
I shut the door behind him, returning to Sadie and putting my gun back in its place.  
“...That was so intimidating, Babe, I’m so glad you handled that.” She teased.  
“I’m tired, alright? Leave me alone.” I whined.  
She shook her head. “Excuses, excuses.”


	20. Snarky Sadie

| Sadie’s POV |

Albert was stirring in a half awake/half asleep state, on the worn out couch, as I crossed the small living room to grab my jacket and head outside to see what…..or rather who Martin and the others were cooking over the campfire outside.  
“You say something, Albert?” I sighed, hearing him mutter something before I could reach the door.  
Really, really not in the mood for this so goddamned early in the morning..   
“I said your door isn’t soundproof!” He complained, a little louder than I’d asked for. “I can hear every fucking thing you’re doin in there, empasis on fucking.” He scoffed at that last part.  
“Let me remind you, Albert, that you’re not sleeping under this roof because we NEED you to be. You’re sleeping here because you’re too much of a pussy to sleep outside. Don’t like what I do with my husband behind a closed door, you’re free as a fucking bird to go back to making do with the others!”   
“Yeah, well-”  
“THAT IS..” I continued. “Assuming I don’t go ahead and decide to revoke the privilege, take that freedom away from you.”  
He just muttered something under his breath and turned back over, facing the back of the couch.  
“And get off your damn ass, already!” I added, throwing one of his shoes at him on my way out. “If I have to be up, so do you.”

I sauntered on down the steps to find Martin and most of the others gone, likely still out on their hunt.  
Mike was tossing some kindling into the fire when I approached.  
“Morning, Sadie.” he greeted.  
“What’s good about it?” I scoffed, taking another look around.  
“I dunno” He shrugged. “I just said Morning”.  
“Yeah, well the good is usually implied.”  
“Yeah, I guess it is.” He chuckled.  
I nodded. “So no one’s back yet?”  
He shook his head. “Yeah, no such luck yet.”  
“That figures.” I muttered.  
“Where’s Gareth?” He asked.  
“He’s comin.” Gareth’s voice answered from behind me, with a yawn. “Slowly, but surely.”  
I grinned as soon as I recognized it was him. “Morning, Sleepyhead.”  
He leaned in to kiss me when I turned around to face him. “Morning, Babe.”  
“You’re up late.” I remarked. “You’re usually up earlier than most of us.” I remarked.  
“More bad dreams, for most of the night.” He sighed. “Didn’t get any real sleep til early this morning.”  
“Still more sleep than you’ve been getting.” I pointed out.  
“I guess.” He shrugged. “So did you verbally abuse Albert this morning?” He added with a smirk. “Or did I just dream that too?”  
I smiled back. “No, no I did. He was askin for it.”  
“I don’t doubt that.” He chuckled, taking a look around for himself. “Still out, huh?”  
Mike nodded. “Yeeep, still out….they’ve been out longer before though.”  
Gareth nodded.  
“Yeah, well before, I wasn’t about to eat your leg, Mike.” I scoffed.  
Gareth chuckled at my remark. “You check the kitchen yet? Might be some stale chips or something left from whoever was here last.”  
“Ooohh, yum!” I remarked sarcastically. “As great as that offer sounds, Gar, I’m pretty sure I went through what was tolerable of that the first week we were here….and what little is left makes me sick.”  
“Right…” He chuckled. “Though, if I recall, it was more like the first day or so.”  
“I like to think it was at least a few days.” I defended.  
“If you say so.” He sighed.  
“I do.” I smirked.  
“Well, in my defense..” He added. “We have been here a month or so, and you know I don’t have the best memory…”  
“As much of an understatement as that is.” I snickered. “Kinda feels more like an excuse.”  
“Oh it does, does it?”  
“Yeah, it does.” I slipped my arms up around his neck, right as Albert was making his way out of the house.  
“God, don’t tell me you guys are gonna do it out here now.” He groaned, rolling his eyes at us, as he came down the porch steps.  
“Don’t tempt us!” I smirked.  
Gareth chuckled. “Nice to see you too, Albert.”  
Albert just shrugged as he went to join Mike by the fire.  
“Sure you can handle bein out here, man?” Gareth remarked. “Pretty scary out here.”  
“Bite me.” Albert scoffed.  
“What’d I say about tempting me, asshole?” I retorted.  
Albert just ignored me. “So when are the others expected back?” he asked no one in particular.  
“Dunno.” I scoffed. “Lemme just pull out my cell and ask them.”  
Albert just muttered something under his breath and went back in the house.  
“Well, someone’s particularly snarky today.” Gareth observed, as soon as Albert was out of earshot.  
I raised my eyebrows. “You implying that I’m Moody, Gar.”  
“No, no no.” He tried to defend. “Didn’t mean it like that.”  
I laughed. “I’m mostly kidding, Babe.”  
“I’m sure.”  
I turned to go back in the house as well. “Well let me know when breakfast is on.”  
“Will do.” Gareth promised, kissing my cheek as I left.


	21. Scares

| Gareth’s POV |

I awoke even earlier than my usual timing, to be sure I was up before Sadie was, so I could surprise her with a little something I’d been saving for just about the right time.  
Given that the baby was expected in another few weeks or so, I figured this was as good a time as any.

I sat up on my side of our temporary bed, watching her stir just a little more than what was usual for her particular sleep habits…..even nowadays.  
She stirred some more, muttering something I couldn’t quite make out.  
I reached, to gently shake her awake, but she shot up and out of her restless sleep before I had the chance.  
She sat, catching her breath, as she tried to calm down from whatever it was she had awoken from.  
I took her hand, attempting to comfort her. “Sadie, Sadie, it’s okay. It’s okay...it was just a dream. Okay? I’m here, I’m right here.”  
She nodded, putting her free hand to her face as she processed this.  
“And I thought bad dreams were my department.” I teased.  
That got a laugh out of her, and she relaxed a little. “You’re such an asshole, you know that?”   
“So I’ve heard.” I chuckled. “You wanna talk about it?”  
“You reeeaally wanna go down that road?” She smirked.  
I chuckled. “I meant the dream, silly.”  
“Ohh...right, that.”  
“You don’t have to.” I told her.  
She nodded, sitting there, not saying anything for a few moments while she collected her thoughts.  
“...It was about the baby….” She finally answered. “...It was- I was…..we were…...s-something went wrong…” She trailed off, about to break down again.  
I put my arms around her, holding her tightly while she sniffled into my shoulder.  
“It’s all over now…” I reassured her. “It’s not real, everything’s okay, right?”  
“Yeah….” she whispered. “Baby’s moving now…”  
I chuckled softly, putting my hand over to see if I could feel it. “See, then? Baby’s fine. Nothing to worry about now.”  
She smiled, placing her hand next to mine. “Yeah, I guess you’re right…..sorry if I scared you.”  
“Don’t worry about it.” I insisted. “It happens...nothing to be ashamed of.”  
“Thanks…” She whispered.  
“Of course…” I held her for a moment before she broke away, allowing me to grab what I was saving in my bag. “....You know….I’ve been saving this for a while….just been waiting for the right time.” I turned to reach for my bag, which I’d set on the floor next to my side of the bed.  
“What have you done, Gar?” She teased.  
“You’ll see……” I promised. “Close your eyes...and hold out your hands”  
“Gar…”  
“Just trust me” I insisted.  
She rolled her eyes, but obliged  
I pulled out of my bag, and placed in her hands, a little plush dog, which resembled her dog from just before shit hit the fan, that I’d found a while back and managed to keep safe up until now.  
“You can open them now…” I said.  
She obliged, again, and began to curiously examine the little pooch. She smiled. “It looks just like my Presley”  
“Doesn’t he?” I agreed. “I found him, back at Terminus, where we used to keep all the stuff we took. It was right after that first pregnancy scare you had…..I figured we might want him, if it ever became more than just a scare.”  
Her face lit up even more. “Really?”  
I nodded. “.....Or if you wanted to keep him for yourself...I won’t judge if that’s the case.”  
She shoved me back, playfully, and laughed. “Very funny.”  
“I thought it was.”  
“....You’re the best…” She said, wrapping her arms back around me.”  
“I try.”


	22. The Least Of My Concerns

| Sadie’s POV |

The impending day, and the weeks, and eventual days leading up to the day only heightened my fears and my nightmares, leading to more restless nights than not.  
Most nights, like this one in particular, I just laid there in our temporary bed beside Gareth.  
Laid there, thinking, mulling, obsessing, what have you, and just watching him.  
Fuck what this was doing to me, much as that aspect alone terrified me….it fucking killed me to imagine what it was gonna do to him, if anything happened to me or this baby.  
It would destroy him.

Sitting upright, staring down to where my hands were resting over my stomach, I sighed.  
“I’m sorry, Kiddo.” I whispered. “I really wish we could welcome you under better circumstances.”  
Fighting back tears in my eyes, trying desperately to stop worrying about it so damn much, I decided that I could do with some fresh, cool air.

I carefully lifted the blanket off me, swung my legs off the side of the bed, and attempted to pull my fat ass up without waking Gareth…...failing, of course.  
“Everything okay?” he slurred sleepily, shifting slightly in his place.  
“Yeah, fine.” I whispered. “Just gonna get some fresh air, go back to sleep.”  
He muttered something incoherently, as he turned over and passed right back out.  
I chuckled softly. God, he’s fucking cute when he’s sleepy.

After a few failed attempts, I finally managed to pull myself up using the old, worn out dresser which stood on my side, grabbed my knife and one of my guns, and headed off toward the back door.

Teresa was sitting out on the back porch steps, smoking a cigarette, when I opened the door to go out.  
I waved her off when I saw her start to put it out as soon as she heard my footsteps and turned to see me. “You’re Fine, T, a little secondhand smoke’s the least of my concerns these days, don’t you think?”  
She just chuckled, but didn’t pick up another one. “Yeah, I suppose it wouldn’t be…...stopped you from doing it, yourself, though.”  
“Well, I’m not gonna go out of my way to do it” I laughed. “But that doesn’t mean I wanna concern myself with your smoke….In fact, it kind of soothes me.”  
“Well, I’m glad I could be of service to you.” We both laughed at that.

I winced, slightly, as a small bolt of pain caught me off guard.  
Startled, Teresa’s eyebrows raised. “You okay?”  
“Yeah.” I exhaled. “I’m fine, just braxton hicks.”  
“Ohhh...okay” She seemed to relax a little again.  
We sat in silence there, for a few moments, before she spoke again.  
“Final stretch, huh?” She finally said.”...another few days or so?”  
“Yeah….” I nodded. “....give or take a few, you know.”  
She nodded. “....Scary shit, huh?”  
“..Yeah…” I chuckled nervously, at the thought of it. “....yeah, scarier than any biter out there.”  
“I’m sure…..” She decided to pull out another cigarette, afterall. “....You know I’m here for you, right?”  
I took a brief whiff of the smoke from her cigarette. “I do…...and I appreciate it.”  
She nodded.  
“...I mean it..” I continued. “I don’t tell you enough, but I really do appreciate having you here….you’re the only one of these assholes I can really tolerate...apart from Gareth, obviously.”  
“...Well, I think you more than tolerate him...to say the least.” She chuckled.  
“Muuuuch more than tolerate…..and I guess I more than tolerate you too..”  
“Well, thank you.” She chuckled again. “....How long did you say you two’ve been together?”  
“Since we weerrre 17…..we met near the beginning of our last year of high school.”  
“That’s a long time…” She marveled.   
“...Well hopefully it ends up being a lot longer…” I added, looking back down. “...though, given the current sitch, I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up.”  
“....You know, you still might be okay…” She said, in an effort to reassure me. “You wouldn’t be the first person to survive childbirth without modern medicine.”  
“Thaaaat’s comforting.”I laughed.  
“You know what I mean, Sade.”  
“I suppose I do..” I agreed. “...and thank you for that.”  
“You’re welcome.” She chuckled.


	23. It's Gonna Be Okay

| Gareth’s POV |

I awoke early and strolled out into the living room to find Sadie, seated on the couch, fidgeting with the little plush dog in her lap.  
She stopped when she heard my footsteps, looking up and giving me a little half smile when she noticed it was me.“Hey, Early Bird. Sleep okay, last night.”  
“Define good.” I chuckled.  
“Well, better than me, at least.”  
I nodded. “Bad dreams, again?”  
She shook her head. “Nahh, just couldn’t sleep…..too much on my mind, you know?”  
“Yeah...kinda hard to miss.” I sighed, sitting down next to her. “You’re usually up later than Albert, even.”  
She laughed a little at that.  
“Speaking of which, where is he? He can’t be awake already.”  
“I booted him out with the others, he was getting on my nerves.” She answered.  
“What else is new? I chuckled.  
“Alright, he’s super been getting on my nerves lately. Happy?”  
“Not really….and I don’t think he’s the only thing that’s been bothering you.”  
She shook her head again. “....yeah, I wish he was…”  
“We can talk about it, you know.  
She didn’t say anything...and I could tell she was fighting a losing battle to hold back tears, about everything that was on her mind just then.  
I put an arm up around her shoulders. “....Is it about the baby? I know you’ve been scared about that for a while, now.”  
Her voice croaked as she began to speak. “.....It’s about everything….It’s about the baby...it’s about leaving you a-” She buried her face in my shoulder, while I tried to comfort her.  
“Sadie….” I said, gently. “It might still be okay…..you don’t know that it won’t be.”  
“You don’t know that it will be either though.”  
“No, I don’t….” I admitted. “.....but I think that you will be, the baby too.”  
“How can you be so sure?” She sniffled.  
“...maybe I just have a hunch, then. Aren’t I allowed to have those?”  
“.......I suppose so..”  
“And I’ve had hunches that were right before, right?”  
She started to light up, just a little. “Yeah, about dumb shit….like, I bet Sadie’ll eat what’s left of the stale chips, or I bet the baby’ll be a boy cause it kicked when I said he.  
I raised a pointing finger “That one I still stand by….especially cause the chip one was right.”  
“Or maybe it kicked to correct you.” She smirked.  
“Whatever….still made you smile a little.” I pointed out.  
“....You caught me in a moment of weakness, you bastard!” She laughed, tossing a pillow at me.  
“I know, what a terrible monster I am, maybe you should divorce me!”  
“You wish.” She teased.  
“Nooooot a chance.”  
“...Well then you’re dumber than I give you credit for.” She laughed.  
“Thaaat is not true, you made it abundantly clear last week, when I heard Martin come in the house and thought he was a dead one.”  
“That was pretty dumb” She reaffirmed.  
“IT WAS DARK, OKAY??? I don’t REALLY think he looks a dead one!”  
“...Sounds like something someone who thought Martin was a dead one would say.” She smirked.  
“Can’t you just cut me some slack once in a while?” I sighed.  
“Noooot a chance.”  
Before I could protest again, the door started to open and I reached for my gun.  
Martin, who’d been on the other side of it, put his hands up. “...I surrender.”  
Sadie shot me a look as I put my gun back down.  
“Breakfast is ready, if you guys want any.”  
“We’ll be right out.” I chuckled.  
Sadie raised her eyebrows as he shut the door behind him. “That REALLY just helped your case, babe”  
“Will you just quit it and let me help you up, so we can go eat?” I sighed, holding my hand out to her.  
She took hold of my hand, while she pushed herself off the couch with her free hand.  
“....and they say chivalry is dead.” She smirked.  
I just rolled my eyes as we headed out the door.


	24. It's Go Time

| Sadie’s POV |

Everyone sat huddled around the little living room, listening as Gareth and I drew up exactly how we were gonna take the church when the time was right.   
“And what about the kid?” Martin interjected. “You say you wanna do this after it gets here, but how exactly do you expect to go in there, guns blazing, with a kid on your arm?”  
“Well, Martin, considering the alternative is that my water breaks in the midst of a big showdown, I think we’ll just play the hand we were dealt, if that’s acceptable by you.” I snapped.  
“I was just saying-” He started to defend.  
“Well, maybe you should STOP saying.” I excused myself from the discussion, pulled myself up, and started for the front door.  
“Where you going?” Gareth asked, concerned.  
“I just need some air.” I sighed, shutting the door behind me.  
“Do you have to always be talking out of your ass, man?” I heard Gareth loudly exclaim through the closed door.

Teresa came out after me, clearly as done with Martin’s bullshit as I was, to find me sitting on one of the front porch steps.  
I half smiled at the sight of her. “Gareth send you out after me?”  
She shook her head and chuckled. “Gareth’s too busy biting Martin’s head off...so to speak. He’ll probably be out here, himself, I’m sure.  
“Well, that’s pretty overdue, to say the least.” I chuckled.  
“No shit” she smirked, then put a hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”  
“Yeah…” I exhaled. “I’ll be fine..I just…” A strong wave of pain hit me before I could finish my sentence, making me groan.  
Teresa’s concern for me only grew as she watched me double over and grip the step I was sitting on, with the hand that wasn’t on my stomach.  
She kept her arm around me. “Sadie?! What’s happening? Is it-”  
I could only nod, groaning as I tried to breathe through the contraction.  
She took my hand in her free one. “Alright….Alright, I got you..I got you, just try to breathe through it..”  
I nodded, taking a few more breaths as it passed. “......It’s go time…” I finally managed, nervously.  
Teresa nodded. “Let’s get you inside, get you…..well, semi comfortable.”  
“Yeah….”  
Teresa helped me up to my feet, keeping her arm around me while I held onto her for support and led me back inside.

Gareth was clearly still giving Martin shit for his remark, which made me smile a little, when we opened the door to come in.

“Is that OKAY WITH YOU, Martin?” Gareth nearly growled , as he was going over where everybody’s positions would be.  
Martin rolled his eyes. “Sure, man….I told you, I was just-”  
Gareth put a hand up to cut him off, and turned to look at us when he heard the door close.  
“Everything okay?’ He asked, growing even more concerned when he saw me.  
I shook my head. “...I think I’m in labor…”  
Gareth dropped what he was doing, stood up, and rushed over me, as soon as those words fell out of my mouth.   
He took my hand, opposite of the side that Teresa was still standing on.  
“A-are you sure? What happened?”  
“I was having braxton hicks all morning...or what I assumed to be braxton hicks because they weren’t THAT bad, and just now, out on the step with T, I had a pretty bad contraction..”  
I winced as I started to feel another one coming on “.......and I also think I’m having another one…aaghh.”  
Gareth struggled for words, as he held onto me, trying to help me through it.   
“I got you...I got you..” he panicked, as I squeezed his hand. “That’s it, honey, just breathe.  
I released my grip on Teresa, still grabbing onto Gareth, as I gripped my stomach, and let a groan escape my lips.  
“Good, you’re almost through this…” he rubbed his other hand across my back, as he redirected attention to Teresa. “Help me get her into the bedroom…” He turned to bark orders at the others.  
“Two of you get out to stand guard the front, two out back!! Albert, go get some towels, whatever you can find.”  
They all did as instructed, while he helped Teresa lead me into the bedroom.


	25. Thin Fucking Ice

| Sadie’s POV |

The next couple hours or so, which felt like much longer..so much fucking longer, progressively brought more painful, frequent contractions.  
Contractions that made me just about forget about all my fears and worries from before and beg for death. Really, any fucking thing that would make the pain stop.

Theresa was fumbling in some first aid kits, cabinets, anything that might have something that could take the edge off, while Gareth sat beside me. His hand, getting blacker and bluer by the second, the harder I gripped it.  
He began wincing, but trying not to say anything, considering how fucking minor it was in comparison to what I was going through.  
“Oh...I’m sorry, am I… h-hurting you?” I panted.  
“No...No, it’s fine.” He groaned softly. “Don’t worry about me, just keep breathing.  
I could only moan in response, as it passed. “Fuck, T. What the hell are you doing out there?!” I snapped.  
“The best I can.” She sighed, when she came back in. “I told you, we ransacked this whole place right after we cleared it.”  
“Yeah, well, better safe than sorry.” Gareth answered.  
Theresa nodded. “There are a couple aspirins in this kit...wouldn’t be strong enough for Sadie, but might do your hand some good.”  
“I...uhh..might take you up on that later.” Gareth chuckled nervously. “Right now, I’m trying not to get either of us stabbed.”  
“From the looks of your hand, I wouldn’t give her any ideas if I were you.” Theresa smirked.  
“Believe me, I’m tempted.” I groaned, as I felt another one coming. “Gar..”  
Gareth ignored whatever pain his hand was in, or tried to, and took mine again. “I gotcha..” He reassured. “Im here, you’re doing great.”  
“How far apart was that? From the last one, I mean.” Theresa asked.  
“FUCK if I know….” I groaned. “Like four or five m-minutes..not far enough!”  
“You’re probably getting close, then.” She said. “Mind if I check?”  
“...I-if you know...h-how…” I panted.  
“I had a cousin who worked in an ER.” She explained. “She didn’t tell me a whole lot, but it might help me get a gist of the situation.”  
“Better than nothing.” Gareth pointed out.  
Theresa nodded. “Here, let me help you get your pants off..”  
“Shouldn’t you buy her dinner, first?” Gareth joked, as she slipped my jeans off.  
I glared at him. “You know, I’m not very fucking opposed to that stabbing idea!”  
“Really?” Gareth chuckled nervously. “I kind of am.”  
“Alright, I can’t say for sure.” Theresa interrupted. “But can’t be much longer..maybe an hour or two, maybe less…”  
I whined, throwing my head back into the pillow.  
“It’s gonna be okay..” Gareth tried to reassure.  
I Nodded, though I wasn’t buying it.

The contractions were getting even closer and harder to bear, now, and I was having to pant even more, just to get through one of them.  
“Gar....” I whimpered. “I don’t think I can do this.”   
“Sure you can..” He insisted, dabbing some sweat from my drenched forehead with his free hand.. “I know you will.

Another, stronger wave of pain was hitting me, just as Theresa was returning to her spot with some towels.  
“Alright, Sade, I think you’re about ready to push.”  
“Shit.” I whimpered.  
“Ready?”  
I gripped even harder onto Gareth’s hand. “Don’t you fucking let go.”  
Gareth nodded. “I’m gonna try.”  
“Deep breath….and PUSH.  
I let out a scream, with the first big push.   
“That’s it, keep pushing. You’re doing great.”  
“I COULD FUCKING KILL YOU FOR THIS, I SWEAR TO GOD, GARETH!!”I shrieked.  
“Duly noted.” He chuckled nervously.  
“Come on, keep going, Sadie, I think I can see the head.”  
“Either you can see a fucking head, or you can’t, T.”  
“Okay, I can, you’re doing great. Almost there... “  
“FUCK!”

…..

“One more push, Sadie. Come on.”  
Finally, with that last push, our little boy slipped out into the world.  
But the relief that had previously replaced the pain, was replaced with worry, when Theresa had to pat him a few times for him to start crying.  
“What’s wrong with him?! IS HE OKAY?!”  
Before she could answer,a shrill cry filled the air, and I was able to sigh of relief agin.  
“Thank God” I whispered.   
She handed him to me as soon as he was cleaned off and wrapped up  
“I knew you could do it.” Gareth whispered.  
I raised a finger to him. “You’re still on thin fucking ice.”  
Gareth just rolled his eyes. “Can we just enjoy this, hmm?”  
“....Only cause I’m too exhausted to kill you now.” I chuckled, weakly.  
“I can live with that.” He chuckled.  
“We still good on Alex?” I asked, regarding the name.  
He nodded, then turned to look down. “Unless you have any objections to that…”  
“I think he’s good..” I laughed.  
“Alex, it is, then.”


	26. We Need To Talk About Alex

| Gareth’s POV |

Sadie lowered whatever book she was reading, when she heard me open the door to the bedroom. A little smirk appeared on her face when she noticed I was still favoring my injured hand.  
“Alex asleep?” She asked.  
I nodded. “Yeah, Theresa’s got him, said she’ll watch over him for the night.  
I sat down beside her, and she adjusted a small, folded, scrap of paper to place in her book, to use it as a bookmarker before she set it down on the dresser.  
“How’s your hand?” She asked.  
“...better than it was a few days ago.” I chuckled, showing it to her. “Theresa made somewhat of a makeshift splint for it.”  
I winced, slightly, as she brought it just a little closer to her to look it over.”  
“...That actually looks pretty good” She marveled. “Looks almost professional.”  
“Yeah…..” it’s greeeeatt.” I remarked.  
“I hope you’re not fishing for an apology, Mister, cause you ain’t gettin one.” She smirked.  
“...I mean, I wouldn’t put it THAT way….”  
She shook her head. “Noooot happening, not after what you put my uterus through.”  
“Hey, I didn’t hear you complaining nine months ago.” I teased.  
“You caught me in a moment of weakness!” She teased back.  
“.....that was actually quite a few moments, if I recall…” I snickered, holding air quotes up around moments.  
She picked her book back up and began hitting me with it  
“Ow, ow, ow!” I laughed. “I give, I give...come on, that’s a hardcover!”.  
That evil grin of hers returned to her face, as she set it back down.. “Good!”  
“Can’t you just cut me a break, for once?” I whined, half seriously.  
“Never!” She insisted, trying to hold back a laugh.  
I sunk back into my pillow, turned over, and cried out in agony when I accidentally laid on my bad hand in a petty attempt to act like I was pouting. “FUCK!! Ohhh!!”  
“Aww, now look what you’ve done, you screwed up Theresa’s hard work!” She teased.  
“You’re mean.” I teased back.  
“Just shut up, and lemme see it, you big baby.” She laughed  
I held it out for her to examine it, once again.  
“Alright, it doesn’t look so bad, let me just tweek it a bit.”   
I winced as she put the splint back into place.  
“...Alright, that, I’m sorry for.” She admitted.  
“Thank you…” I sighed.  
“....and I was only half serious about the hand in general.” She added. “I do feel bad about that.”  
“I know….and you’re forgiven…..It’s not your fault.”  
She nodded “You’ve put up with a lot these past nine months, you didn’t need a broken hand on top of it.”  
“Well, I’ll survive.” I chuckled, holding up my hand. “At least I think I will.”  
“I think you will too.” She whispered.  
“Good….I’d hate for you to have to explain to Alex that his dad died of a broken hand.”   
We both chuckled at that for a moment.

“...You know, since you brought him up..” She said, a little more seriously. “....It wasn’t Martin’s place to say it, but what the hell are we gonna do with him when we go and take the church from those assholes tomorrow?”  
“...Yeah..I’ve been thinking about that too….as much as I hated him for saying it, he’s right. I don’t know what we’re gonna do.”  
“Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. We always do.” She reminded me.  
I nodded. “I suppose we do.”  
She leaned in closer and kissed me.  
“I love you.” She whispered.  
“I love you more.”


	27. Load Up On Guns

| Sadie’s POV |

I laid out the sketch I’d drawn up of the church, so that we could better go over the game plan tonight, just as Gregg and Mike were coming back from assessing who all were currently inside the church.  
The more we know about what we’re walking into, the better.

“...And not a moment too soon.” I commented when they approached. “What’s the sitch, guys?”  
“Rosita, Eugene, Carl, Judith…” Gregg listed.  
“The big one who fucked up Martin pretty bad, the hell was his name? Tyler or something?” Mike added  
“Tyreese..” Martin corrected.  
Mike nodded. “Right, him...his sister too, Sasha, I think it was.”  
“Anyone else?” I asked.  
“Might’ve been a couple more..” Gregg answered. “That one, Sasha, heard us, so we had to book it. Couldn’t get a good enough count.”  
“Great…” I sighed. “...Alright, I guess that’ll do…”  
Gareth, who was holding little Alex in his lap, nodded. “Good enough, anyway.”  
“Now, as far as Alex is concerned….” I looked toward Theresa. “Theresa, you’re gonna have to wait outside with him, you’re one of our best shooters, but I don’t trust any of these guys with him….shoot anyone that tries to come in and stop us. Especially the Archer and his girlfriend, that Queen BITCH who shot me in the leg….but do it slowly if it’s either of them…..they won’t hesitate to do the same to any of us.”  
Theresa agreed. “Alright.’  
“If things get real bad…” I added. “...You just cut and run with him, and don't look back. Wait for a while out in front of that old schoolhouse, we’ll meet you there if we make it out.”  
She nodded. “Got it.”  
I looked around to everyone. “Anything else? ……..I leave anything out?”  
Heads shook throughout the group.  
“I think you covered everything, babe.” Gareth answered, gently bouncing Alex on his knee as he started to fuss.  
“Good.” I nodded, stretching my arms out toward him. “Now, gimme my kid.”  
Gareth chuckled, but obliged.  
I switched Alex to one arm, slinging my crossbow over my opposite shoulder, as I stood up.  
“Alright then….load up your guns then, and let’s head out.”

It was dark by the time we arrived at the church, though still fairly good timing.  
It was just light enough that we could make out the white sign out front, which read St. Sarah’s Episcopal Church .  
I glanced over the area and turned to nod at Gareth, who gave the signal for the rest of our group to follow us, and they followed suit.

I handed Alex over to Theresa, once we’d reached the church steps, planting a kiss on his forehead as I said my goodbyes and proceeded up the church steps to kick it in if it was locked….which it was.  
I gave it a good, hard kick, and hit it with the butt of the gun Gareth had slung over his shoulder, til we were in.  
I handed the gun back to Gareth and signaled to the others that we were in.


	28. I Already Made You A Promise

| Gareth’s POV |

Sadie and I led the others into the church, to find that the ones who were here were clearly hiding in one or both of the two remaining rooms from us.  
We glanced around, to make sure we didn’t miss anyone who might be hidden in the dark, seemingly empty space……..still no one.   
“Well, I guess you know we’re here!” I finally announced, taking another look around. “....And we knooow you’re here…..”  
“And we’re armed!” Sadie added. “....So, there’s really no point in hiding anymore…” She shook her head and muttered under her breath, “Bunch of pussies…”   
She looked to me and nodded.  
I signaled for Martin to take his position.  
“We’ve been watching you, we know who’s here...theeere’s Eugene, Rosita, Martin’s good friend Tyreese, Carl, Judith….and the priest. Rick and the rest walked out with a lot of your guns...listen we don't know where you all are, but this isn’t a big place….so let’s just stop this thing now, before things get any more painful than they need to be…..”  
I signaled for the rest of the group to spread out and take their positions.  
“Look, we know you’re behind one of these two doors, and we have more than enough firepower to take down both…..can’t imagine that’s what you all want.” Sadie called out. “....How about the priest? Father, you help us wrap this up, we let you walk away from this. Just open this door and you can go, you can take the baby with you...what do you say?”  
Judith started crying, so I chuckled to myself. “Might wanna take that back, Sade, I think we should keep the kid…..startin’ to like this girl.”   
Sadie nodded. “Suppose Alex could do with a big sister.”  
I followed the cries to the door that Judith and the others were clearly behind.  
Sadie followed me with her gun pointed towards it, looking around as she went.  
“This is your chance right now to tell us you’re coming out.”  
No response……  
“Are we done?” Martin asked.  
“..Hit the hinges.” I sighed. I was raising my gun, when two shots came from behind and hit Gregg and Mike.  
“Put your guns on the floor…” A familiar voice stated firmly.   
I turned around to find that it was Rick, slowly stepping out of the darkness with some of the others.  
Sadie stepped in front of me, gun raised and aimed at Rick. “No...you lower your gun, Assh-”  
Rick cut her off with a shot that just barely missed her fingers, hitting her arm when she moved to shoot him.  
“FUCK!!” She screamed. She held her arm just long enough for Rick to aim the gun back at us.  
“Put your guns on the floor and KNEEL.” He commanded.  
“Do what he says.” Sadie commanded the others, while she remained standing.  
“...Sadie….”  
“I GOT THIS!” She shouted.  
Rick shot her in the leg, bringing her to her knees.  
I had to think quickly on my feet….so to speak. “No point in beggin right?” I asked, addressing Rick, redirecting his attention away from Sadie.  
“No.” He answered, coldly.  
“Still, “You could’ve killed us when we came in, you didn’t, there had to be a reason for that”  
“We didn’t wanna waste the bullets.” He stated.  
“We used to help people, we saved people. Things changed, they came in and- After that, I know that you’ve been out there, but I can see it, you don’t know what it is to be hungry...you don’t have to do this, we can walk away, and we will never cross paths again, I PROMISE you”  
Rick glared at me. “But you’d cross paths with _someone_ , you’d do this to anyone, right? Besides….I already made you a promise….”  
He reached for that red handled machete he’d been carrying, but took a few shots from Sadie before he could, finally knocking him to the ground.

The fall triggered the rest to start fighting back.  
Sasha began striking Martin with her knife, killing him almost instantly.  
Abraham hit Albert with the end of his gun and would’ve beat him to death if Theresa didn’t step through the doorway and begin firing shots, bringing him and a few of the others to their knees.  
Sadie ran over to me, her gun raised..  
“Get out of here, GO!” She shouted at me.  
“Sadie-”  
“You cut and run, get out of here...for Alex’s sake.” She insisted. “I’ll come and find you when this is all over with….I’ll cover you.”  
I thought for a moment, but reluctantly obliged, taking Alex from Theresa as I reached the doorway.  
I took one last look at my wife, hoping to God that she would make it back out like she promised, and bolting.


	29. Home

| Gareth's POV |

_It’s all my fault that she’s gone…..all my damn fault. I failed her.  
I was the one who insisted we find a so-called better place...she wanted to go on, take what we could get and I insisted that we needed this place, this specific place...I thought it was better...God help me, I thought it was better…...I should’ve listened to her._

_If I’d listened to her then, I wouldn’t be beating myself up for listening to her this time…..that was the worst part of it.  
She told me to “Just GO” and I fucking listened to her….I shouldn’t have.  
I should’ve stayed and protected her, the way she’s protected me...but I didn’t…...and I hate myself for it._

_I shouldn’t take all the blame though….I CAN’T.  
If Rick hadn’t pulled what he had, she might still be here too…..he’s just as to blame for this, if not more…..and for that, he’ll pay.  
_

“...If it’s the last thing I do….IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO, I’ll have his fucking blood on my hands.” I said out loud.

As I stood there, alone, with Alex still over my shoulder….I heard a voice call to me from behind.   
“..Good luck killing someone who’s already fucking dead!” Spoken with such pride.  
I turned around, hand on my gun, to see that it was actually her…..somehow, it was really _her_.  
“Sadie?” My voice, a little shakier than I had intended it to be.  
“Who fuckin else?” She smirked, limping her way over to me. “And I thought the plan was to meet back out in front of the old school house.”  
“...slipped my mind, I guess…” I managed, still in disbelief that she was standing there in front of me….barely scathed.  
“You’re gonna have to do better than that.” She laughed.  
“....Suppose I will.” I chuckled. “H-how though?”  
She shook her head. “I’ve been through hell, Gar….been through hell and back, and then back through hell and back again…..even before the world went in the shitter, and then it did, and between then and now I’ve managed to keep your ass safe, even now, with a kid thrown into the mix…..you honestly think a few assholes are gonna slow me down, let alone stop me?”  
“..Well I’m sorry I doubted you.” I chuckled. “....I love you, Sadie.”  
“I love you more, Gar.” She whispered, pulling me close enough with her good arm to kiss me.

“What about the others?” I finally asked….knowing the answer already.  
“.....They’re all gone.” She sighed. “All of them….what’s left of Rick’s assholes took em all out.”  
“What’s left of them…” I repeated.  
She nodded. “I told you Rick’s fucking dead, of that, I’m certain.”  
“Good.”  
She nodded. “The noise attracted a lot of the dead ones in the area...we’re gonna have to clear it out before we actually take it.”  
“So the others….”  
“...Took off.” She finished.  
I shook my head. “God, I love you.”  
A grin spread across her face. “I know...…now gimme my kid.”  
I sighed, as I handed Alex over to her.  
“Let’s go home, now.”


End file.
